JP2006335609A - Decorating method for ceramic product and ceramic product - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a decorating method for a ceramic product which can decorate the object to be transferred by transferring an image to be transferred that is formed on a transfer sheet face of a thermal transfer sheet using an aqueous ink containing an inorganic pigment. <P>SOLUTION: The decorating method 1 comprises an image forming step S2 for forming an image to be transferred by injecting an aqueous ink containing an inorganic pigment on a transfer sheet face of a thermal transfer sheet using an ink jet printer, a preheating step S3 for preheating a provisionally fired body at a given heating temperature, a sticking step S4 for sticking a thermal transfer sheet to the provisionally fired body, a thermally transferring step S5 for transferring an image to be transferred on the surface of the provisionally fired body, a resin-removing step S6 for removing the resin layer of the thermal transfer sheet by heating it at about 500°C, a glazing step S7 for glazing the surface of the provisionally fired body, and a firing step S8 for carrying out the main firing at a given firing temperature. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for decorating ceramic products, and more particularly to a ceramic product decoration method for decorating the surface of ceramic products using inkjet printing technology and a thermal transfer sheet, and ceramic products. Is.

  Conventionally, so-called “painting” work has been performed to decorate various patterns and patterns (hereinafter referred to as “patterns”) on the surface of ceramic products such as ceramics. Specifically, by drawing a pattern or the like on the surface of a molded body or a fired body exhibiting a porous property using a pigment-based ink, applying glaze thereon, and firing at a predetermined firing temperature, glass is obtained. The decorative design is fixed to the lower layer of the quality glaze layer, and the design is decorated on the glaze layer after the main firing and heated at a temperature lower than the main firing temperature. Work such as “painting” or “inglaze” is mainly performed.

  Here, as a method for decorating a ceramic product with a design or the like, for example, a hand-drawn method for directly drawing a design or the like on the surface of a molded body or a fired body using a paint brush has been performed since ancient times. . However, the hand-drawn decoration work has to be done manually by the painter for each ceramic product, and naturally it took a lot of time. Therefore, it is not suitable for ceramics products such as ceramics that are mass-produced and used daily, except for those that are produced as single items such as arts and crafts, in terms of working time and production cost. . Furthermore, it was physically impossible to decorate fine patterns such as photographs.

  On the other hand, there is also known one that performs decoration by applying conventionally known printing techniques such as screen printing, pad printing, and copper plate transfer printing. According to this, it is possible to decorate the same design etc. to ceramic products in a short time and in large quantities, and the above-mentioned subject is solved. However, when these printing techniques are used, a process for preparing a “plate (original plate)” for printing a design or the like in advance is newly required. As a result, the time and cost required to produce such a plate are required more than before. Therefore, problems such as complication of work process and production cost of ceramic products may occur. In addition, the produced version cannot be changed after that, and if there is a change in the specifications of ceramic products, it is necessary to create a new version. It may not be possible to cope with. Moreover, since it is used for mass-produced ceramic products, it is often not suitable for production of original ceramic products.

  On the other hand, as information home appliances such as personal computers, digital cameras, and scanners have become more sophisticated and less expensive, high-accuracy digital image acquisition and image editing / processing techniques can be easily used. Yes. Furthermore, higher functionality of printing devices such as inkjet printers capable of high-quality printing is also progressing. Therefore, an attempt has been made to apply these devices and various technologies to decorate, for example, the surface of a ceramic product with a highly original digital image obtained by imaging the state of a family. For example, a digital image captured by an image input device such as a scanner is output to a water-attached transfer board that contains a water-soluble polymer and is widely used for ceramics. There is one that attaches water on the surface and bakes at 550 ° C. or higher (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, there is also known an ink jet printing technique in which ink is ejected onto a flat ceramic product such as a tile and printing is directly performed on the tile surface.

JP 2001-39092 A

  However, the one using the water-attached transfer mount was mainly used to transfer the design etc. by applying water on the glaze layer such as “overpainting” or “inglaze”. For this reason, bleeding or the like may occur at the time of sticking, and water-based ink cannot be used when outputting a transfer image on a water-attached transfer mount. Furthermore, even when used for ceramic products exhibiting porous properties such as unglazed baking, the ink is absorbed by the ceramic products and the transferred image is blurred, or the transferred image is peeled off from the ceramic products due to problems of adhesion and waterproofness. There was a problem such as. Therefore, it was not suitable for decorating by “underlaying”.

  Also, those that perform direct printing using inkjet printing technology have a planar shape such as the tile described above, and can only be printed on ceramic products in a relatively simple manner, and are three-dimensional (three-dimensional). Or for ceramic products having complex shapes. Therefore, it could not be applied to a wide range of uses.

  Furthermore, when an inorganic pigment is contained in the ink used for inkjet printing, the inorganic pigment having a large specific gravity tends to settle in the ink. As a result, nozzle clogging occurs in the discharge section (nozzle section) that discharges ink, resulting in defective discharge, and the transfer image may not be formed satisfactorily.

  Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention has an object to provide a ceramic product decoration method for transferring and decorating a transfer image formed with a water-based ink containing an inorganic pigment, and to provide a ceramic product. .

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the ceramic product decorating method of the present invention uses an aqueous ink containing an inorganic pigment, and an image forming step of forming a desired transfer image on the transfer sheet surface of the thermal transfer sheet; A thermal transfer step of transferring the transfer image formed on the transfer sheet surface to the transfer surface of the transfer object using heat; and the transfer object to which the transfer image is transferred is 500 ° C. or more and 1500 ° C. or less. And a firing step of firing at a firing temperature of ".

  Here, the thermal transfer sheet is a sheet on which a transfer image formed on the transfer sheet surface can be transferred to the transfer surface using heat. The transfer image and the organic substance on the transfer sheet surface are transferred to the transfer surface by applying heat from the periphery such as the back surface of the thermal transfer sheet while the transfer image is in contact with the transfer surface.

  The image forming step is to form a transfer image to be decorated on a finished ceramic product by using water-based ink containing an inorganic pigment by hand drawing or other means on the transfer sheet surface of the thermal transfer sheet described above. is there. Note that the transferred image is reversed left and right by a thermal transfer process, which will be described later. Therefore, in the image forming process, it is necessary to form a reverse image of the desired image.

  Furthermore, the water-based ink containing an inorganic pigment includes an inorganic pigment that can be colored by baking at a high temperature performed after the fact, and in particular, those used for the underpainting work are glazes applied to the upper surface of the transferred image. Even when the layer is formed, it is required to have excellent color developability. Here, the water-based ink basically has four colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K), so that a full-color transfer image can be formed. . The types of inorganic pigments used in this water-based ink are already known. For example, oxides such as vanadium-tin, vanadium-zirconium, praseodymium-zircon, and holmium can be used as Y-based pigments, such as cobalt, Oxides such as cobalt-aluminum and cobalt-zinc-aluminum can be used as C-based pigments, and oxides such as chromium-iron, chromium-cobalt-iron, and cobalt-aluminum-iron are known as K-based pigments. Yes. As special colors, red by iron oxide, green by cobalt-chromium oxide or the like, brown by zinc-chromium-silicon oxide, or the like can also be used. Further, glass powder called frit can be used as necessary.

  Further, the water-based ink used in the present invention may be one in which various additives are added in order to stabilize ink properties such as dispersibility, anti-settling property, and adjustment of surface tension of the inorganic pigment to be mixed. Absent. For example, it is possible to use known additives used in conventional inorganic pigments and ceramic powders, and the types of inorganic pigments to be used from among anionic, cationic, and nonionic additives One or a plurality of types can be appropriately selected and used according to the blending amount. Here, the additives that can be used will be described in more detail. Inorganic salts such as silicate, pyrophosphate, and alkyl phosphate, stearate, alginate, naphthalenesulfonate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan mono Organic salts such as rate, polycarboxylate, polyacrylate, polyoxyethylene fatty acid salt, alkylbenzene sulfonate, alkyl sulfosuccinate, organics such as methylcellulose and ethylcellulose, acids such as oxalic acid and acetic acid, and Examples include various dispersants such as alkalis such as aqueous ammonia, wetting agents, surfactants, and anti-settling agents. These additives are desirably added in an amount of 1 wt% or less, more preferably 0.5 wt% or less, based on the pigment in the ink. By adding excessively, the water-based ink becomes highly viscous or has a low surface tension, which is not suitable for forming a transfer image.

  In addition, in general, a water-based ink is often added with an anti-drying agent in order to stabilize the ink properties. As this anti-drying agent, those having a hydrophilic property capable of being mixed with water and not affecting the viscosity are suitable. For example, alcohols such as ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, thioethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, Examples include ethers such as ethylene glycol monobutylene ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether, and triethylene glycol monoethyl ether, and aqueous solvents such as glycerin, diacetone alcohol, N-methyl 2-pyrrolidone, and 2-pyrrolidone. It is done. In addition, the addition amount of a drying inhibitor is 0-50 vol% with respect to a solvent, More preferably, it is 0-30 vol, More preferably, it adds in the range of 0-20 vol%.

  Therefore, according to the method for decorating ceramic products of the present invention, a transfer image is formed on the sheet transfer surface of the thermal transfer sheet, and heating is performed in a state where the sheet transfer surface is in contact with an object to be transferred (temporarily fired body or the like). . The sheet transfer surface of the thermal transfer sheet has a certain degree of adhesiveness due to a molten resin layer (details will be described later). For this reason, there is no need for a medium having an adhesive function. As a result, the transfer image is transferred from the thermal transfer sheet to the transfer surface of the transfer object, and a transfer image formed by the aqueous ink containing the inorganic pigment is formed on the transfer surface of the transfer object. Thereafter, the transferred image is baked at a baking temperature of 500 ° C. or higher and 1500 ° C. or lower, so that the transferred transfer image is decorated on the ceramic product. That is, since water is not used at the time of sticking unlike a conventional water sticking transfer mount, even if water-based ink is used, problems such as bleeding of a transferred image do not occur. Therefore, the utility of decorating ceramic products using transfer technology is enhanced. Furthermore, since the object to be transferred can be satisfactorily transferred even if it is a porous molded body or fired body, it can be used for ceramic products that are decorated by “underpainting”, which was difficult in the past. Is possible.

  Furthermore, the decoration method for ceramic products according to the present invention includes, in addition to the above-described configuration, “the image forming step uses an ink jet printing technique to discharge the water-based ink onto the thermal transfer sheet surface of the thermal transfer sheet, It may be equipped with an inkjet printing process of printing and forming a transfer image.

  Therefore, according to the method for decorating ceramic products of the present invention, water-based ink is ejected onto the transfer sheet surface of the thermal transfer sheet using an ink jet printing technique to form a transfer image. As a result, it is possible to form and output a transfer image using a home personal computer and an inkjet printer. Further, even when the transfer image needs to be changed, it can be easily changed using image processing software installed in a personal computer. For this reason, unlike the prior art, there is no need for time and effort to newly form a “plate”. As a result, a quick response to the specification change can be taken. In addition, ink cartridges using water-based inks containing inorganic pigments can be constructed, and personal computers and inkjet printers can use general-purpose equipment that is widely used for home use. It becomes easy. Further, as in a normal ink jet printer, by preparing four colors of water-based inks of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black), a transfer image to be formed is constructed in full color. It becomes possible. As a result, it is possible to enrich the color together with the design decorated in the ceramic products.

  Furthermore, in addition to the above configuration, the method for decorating ceramic products of the present invention may be “the inorganic pigment is prepared to have an average particle diameter of 5 nm or more and 100 nm or less”.

  Here, the average particle size of the inorganic pigment is more preferably 80 nm or less. That is, when the average particle diameter is 100 nm or more, the inorganic pigment having a large specific gravity has a fast sedimentation speed in the water-based ink, and the ink cartridge discharge part (nozzle part) and the path part through which the ink flows when ink jet printing is performed. In this case, precipitation is likely to occur, and there is a high possibility that good water-based ink cannot be discharged.

  Further, the amount of the inorganic pigment mixed in the water-based ink is not particularly specified, but it is desirable that the amount of the inorganic pigment is as high as possible while being able to be discharged from the discharge portion. However, water-based ink containing a high concentration of inorganic pigment has a high viscosity, and there is a high possibility that it cannot be discharged well, and ink clogging at the discharge portion is likely to occur. Therefore, it is suitable that it is 1 vol% or more and 20 vol% or less, More preferably, it is 10 vol% or less. Here, when an inorganic pigment of 20 vol% or more is mixed, the probability of occurrence of the above-described malfunction in the discharge unit is remarkably increased. The water-based ink has an apparent viscosity of 1 to 25 mPa · s, more preferably 1 to 15 mPa · s, and a surface tension of 10 to 60 mN / m, more preferably 20 to 50 mN / m. It has the property of the range of. Here, if the apparent viscosity and the surface tension are not values within the above ranges, it is not possible to discharge straight from the discharge portion, and there is a high possibility that problems such as distortion and fading occur in the transferred image.

  Therefore, according to the method for decorating ceramic products of the present invention, an inorganic pigment having an average particle diameter of 5 nm or more and 100 nm or less is used. Thereby, the sedimentation stability in the water-based ink is maintained. Therefore, the mixing ratio of the inorganic pigment in the water-based ink is constant. In particular, when such water-based ink is used for ink jet printing, it is possible to eliminate problems such as nozzle clogging that occur in the nozzle portion.

  Furthermore, the decoration method for ceramic products according to the present invention includes, in addition to the above configuration, “the thermal transfer sheet is heated and melted at a transfer temperature of 50 ° C. or more and 250 ° C. or less and transferred to the transfer surface together with the transfer image. The baked step may include a resin removing step of removing the molten resin layer transferred to the transfer surface in an oxidizing atmosphere.

  Here, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin that can be heated and melted at a relatively low temperature for the molten resin layer that is heated and melted at a transfer temperature of 50 ° C. or higher and 250 ° C. or lower. For example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polyurethane, polyester, ethylene vinyl alcohol, polyamide, synthetic wax, natural wax and the like are used. The thermal transfer sheet can be adhered to the transfer object as it is without being peeled off, and can be adhered by pressing with a metal or a heat-resistant resin from above the affixed sheet. Further, since the thermal transfer sheet is generally configured in the shape of a thin leaf, it may have a support mount (separator) for supporting the transfer sheet surface. Note that a silicon release layer, a fluororesin release layer, or the like needs to be formed between the support mount and the thermal transfer sheet in order to improve the peelability. In addition, since water-based ink containing an inorganic pigment is used, it is necessary to have affinity (hydrophilicity) for the water-based ink. Here, the molten resin layer of the thermal transfer sheet needs to have resistance to the solvent (mainly water) of the water-based ink and to have a characteristic of melting at the transfer temperature described above. Further, it is desirable to have a porous property that absorbs water-based ink so that the transferred image can be clearly displayed on the sheet transfer surface without peeling off the inorganic pigment after drying.

  Therefore, according to the method for decorating ceramic products of the present invention, the thermal transfer sheet is formed with the molten resin layer transferred together with the transfer image at a transfer temperature of 50 ° C. or higher and 250 ° C. or lower. Furthermore, it has a resin removal step of heating only a predetermined time at the temperature of removing the molten resin layer (for example, around 500 ° C.) for a predetermined time during the baking step, leaving only the transferred image on the surface of the transfer object. As a result, after removing the molten resin layer, the glaze is applied from above the transfer object and the transfer image, and further the main baking is performed at a baking temperature of about 1000 ° C., so that the transfer image is added under the glassy glaze layer. It becomes possible to produce decorated ceramic products. In other words, it becomes possible to decorate with underlay using a thermal transfer sheet.

  In addition to the above configuration, the decoration method for ceramic products according to the present invention further includes a “preheating step of heating the transfer object to a predetermined preheating temperature in advance, and the pasting step is heated by the preheating step. The thermal transfer sheet is affixed to the transferred object to be transferred ".

  Therefore, according to the method for decorating ceramic products of the present invention, a thermal transfer sheet on which a transfer image is formed is affixed to a pre-heated transfer object. Thereby, the transfer sheet surface of the thermal transfer sheet is heated and melted by the heat transferred from the transfer object, and transferred to the transfer surface of the transfer object. That is, it is not necessary to further heat after sticking the thermal transfer sheet, and the thermal transfer sheet is heated simultaneously with the sticking of the thermal transfer sheet. Furthermore, when a part of the thermal transfer sheet is heated and melted by the heat, the adhesion between the transfer target and the thermal transfer sheet is improved. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare another configuration having an adhesive function like water of a conventional water-attached transfer mount. As a result, the transfer image to be transferred is less likely to shift. Furthermore, the conventional water-attached transfer mount can be applied to porous ceramic products that are difficult to transfer.

  In this case, in the preheating step described above, a material that is heated and melted at a heating temperature of 50 ° C. or higher and 250 ° C. or lower, more preferably 50 ° C. or higher and 200 ° C. or lower, is used for the thermal transfer sheet in accordance with the properties of the thermal transfer sheet. Is particularly preferred. On the other hand, when the heating temperature is low and the heat-melting is not sufficient, the adhesion between the thermal transfer sheet and the transferred material is lowered, and the transferred image is not transferred well onto the transferred surface of the transferred material.

  On the other hand, the ceramic product of the present invention is a ceramic product to be decorated using the method for decorating ceramic products according to any one of the above, and using the fired body and the thermal transfer sheet, And a transfer image layer formed on the surface of the fired body by a transfer image transferred to the fired body.

  Therefore, according to the ceramic product of the present invention, the transfer image formed on the transfer sheet surface of the thermal transfer sheet is transferred to the porous fired body by applying the above-mentioned decoration method for ceramic products. Further, by firing again, a ceramic product in which a transfer image layer is formed is obtained. Here, the “fired body” is used hereinafter in the present specification to indicate both a pre-fired body such as unbaked body or a fired fired body.

  As an effect of the present invention, a thermal transfer sheet can be attached to an object to be transferred by using the power of heat to transfer a transfer image and decorate the ceramic product. This makes it possible to use water-based ink as ink for forming a transfer image without requiring water at the time of transfer unlike a conventional water-attached transfer mount. Furthermore, a water-based ink containing an inorganic pigment can be ejected onto the transfer sheet surface using an ink jet printing technique to form a desired transfer image. Therefore, it is possible to easily decorate the surface of ceramic products by processing original images and the like. Furthermore, even when manufacturing ceramic products in large quantities, it is not necessary to construct a printing plate as in the past, so even if there are sample preparation, design specification changes, design changes, etc., change easily Can do. In addition, the plate making cost required for plate making is not required, and the cost for changing the design can be significantly reduced.

  Hereinafter, a ceramic product decorating method 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as “decorating method 1”) and a ceramic product 2 produced by the decorating method 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 will be described. Here, FIG. 1 is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the decorating method 1 of this embodiment typically, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart which shows the flow of each process of the decorating method 1. FIG.

  As shown mainly in FIG. 1, the decorating method 1 of this embodiment includes a thermal transfer sheet 5 that can transfer a transfer image 4 formed on a transfer sheet surface 3 to a transfer object by heating, and image processing / editing software. An ink jet printer 7 connected to a computer (not shown) in which a transfer image 4 digitized by image editing can be formed on the transfer sheet surface 3 of the thermal transfer sheet 5 using an aqueous ink 10, and transfer This is mainly carried out using a pre-fired body 8 exhibiting a porous property corresponding to the transfer object to which the image 4 is transferred. In addition, as the other configuration, the pre-fired for heating the pre-fired body 8 before applying the glaze 9 applied to the surface of the pre-fired body 8 to which the transfer image 4 is transferred and the thermal transfer sheet 5 to a preheated state A furnace (not shown) and a firing furnace (not shown) for main firing performed after the glaze 9 is applied are used. Note that the preheating furnace and the firing furnace do not need to be provided independently of each other, and even if one furnace is used and the heating temperature (firing temperature) is appropriately changed, each function can be exhibited. I do not care.

  Next, the flow of the process of each process of the decoration method 1 of the present embodiment will be described mainly based on FIG. First, using a computer (not shown), a digital image serving as a basis for the transfer image 4 to be printed by the inkjet printer 7 is prepared. The image is, for example, a digital image captured by an imaging device such as a digital camera or a digital video camera, a silver salt photograph or the like read by an image input device such as a scanner, and digitally converted. Any of those read into a computer from a medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD on which an image is recorded, or downloaded from a communication network such as the Internet may be used. That is, it is only necessary that the transfer image 4 can be formed on the transfer sheet surface 3 of the thermal transfer sheet 5 using an inkjet printer 7 described later.

  The digital image that is determined to be transferred is edited using image processing / editing software, such as enlargement / reduction, rotation, and deformation of the transfer size according to the shape and transfer position of the ceramic product 2 to be produced. (Image editing step S1). In addition, this image editing process S1 may perform simultaneously adjustments, such as hue at the time of output. If the previous process has been performed, the image editing process S1 may be omitted and the process may start from the next image forming process S2.

  Thereafter, the processed / edited digital image is printed on the transfer sheet surface 3 of the thermal transfer sheet 5 using the ink jet printer 7 to form the transfer image 4 (image forming step S2). Here, the image forming step S2 corresponds to the image forming step or the ink jet printing step of the present invention. At this time, water-based ink 10 that is controlled so as to be ejected in a minute amount is ejected from each ejection portion (not shown) of the ink cartridge mounted on the ink jet printer 7 and adheres to the transfer sheet surface 3. As a result, the transfer image 4 is formed as a whole. The water-based ink 10 used includes an inorganic pigment having an average particle diameter of 80 nm or less, and includes various additives for preventing ink stability and an anti-drying agent in addition to water as a solvent. ing. For this reason, the inorganic pigment is not clogged in the discharge portion, causing a discharge failure, or the inorganic pigment is settled in the ink cartridge, and the dispersion state of the water-based ink 10 is not uneven. It is also possible to make the transferred image 4 full color by preparing the water-based ink 10 filled in the ink cartridge for each color of CYMK and controlling the discharge amount by a computer. In the present embodiment, monochromatic water-based ink 10 is used.

  Next, the pre-fired body 8 having a porous property is heated at a predetermined heating temperature (here, 200 ° C.) using a preheating furnace (not shown) (preheating step S3). Note that the preheating step S3 need not be performed after the image forming step S2, and can of course be performed in parallel between the image editing step S1 or the image forming step S2. And by preheating process S3, the surface of the temporary baking body 8 becomes surface temperature near 200 degreeC. Thereafter, the thermal transfer sheet 5 is pasted so that the transfer sheet surface 3 on which the transfer image 4 is printed in the image forming step S2 is in contact with the surface of the temporarily fired body 8 taken out from the preheating furnace (pasting step S4). At this time, since the material constituting the transfer sheet surface 3 is formed of a material that melts depending on the temperature, a part of the material is melted by being affixed to the heated pre-fired body 8. As a result, the adhesion between the pre-fired body 8 and the thermal transfer sheet 5 is increased by melting, and such an adhesion state can be maintained without requiring any other adhesive medium. At this time, since heat is transferred to the thermal transfer sheet 5 by the preheated temporary fired body 8, the transferred image 4 is transferred to the surface of the temporary fired body 8 (corresponding to the transfer surface) (thermal transfer step S5). In addition, when the thermal transfer sheet 5 is supported by a support mount or the like, the support mount is peeled off. As a result, the resin layer 12 made of a thermoplastic resin constituting the transfer image 4 and the thermal transfer sheet 5 is transferred to the surface of the temporary fired body 8. Here, the resin layer 12 corresponds to the molten resin layer in the present invention. Of course, a fired fired body may be used instead of the temporary fired body 8.

  Then, the temporary calcination body 8 is installed in a furnace of a baking furnace (not shown), a baking temperature is set to around 500 ° C., and heating is performed (resin removal step S6). Thereby, the portion of the resin layer 12 of the thermal transfer sheet 5 transferred together with the transfer image 4 disappears, and only the transfer image 4 made of the water-based ink 10 remains on the surface of the temporarily fired body 8. And it takes out from a baking furnace and applies glaze 9 on the surface (glazing process S7). Then, it arrange | positions again in the furnace of a baking furnace, and main baking is performed by predetermined | prescribed baking temperature (here about 1250 degreeC) (baking process S8). The resin removal step S6 needs to be performed in the atmosphere (or in an oxidizing atmosphere) in order to eliminate the organic resin layer 12, while the baking step S8 is not limited to an oxidizing atmosphere. It is possible to perform firing in various atmospheres.

  Thereafter, after a predetermined firing time has elapsed, firing in the firing furnace is stopped and gradually cooled to near room temperature. Thereby, the ceramic product 2 which has the glassy glaze layer by the glaze 9 on the surface, and the transfer image layer was formed in the lower layer is produced.

  As described above, the decorating method 1 according to the present embodiment uses the thermal transfer sheet 5 and further uses the water-based ink 10 having an inorganic pigment to produce a plate necessary for the conventional printing technique. There is no need, and it becomes possible to produce a ceramic product 2 decorated with a highly original transfer image 4. In particular, by using the thermal transfer sheet 5, it is not necessary to use water at the time of sticking to an object to be transferred, like a water-attached transfer mount used for producing a conventional ceramic product. Therefore, the water-based ink 10 used in the ink jet printer 7 can be used. Furthermore, since part of the thermal transfer sheet 5 is melted by the preheating step S3 and the adhesiveness with the pre-fired body 8 is maintained, there is no problem such as misalignment or bleeding of the transferred transfer image 4. The transfer image 4 can be easily transferred.

  Hereinafter, the specific example of the decoration of the ceramics product 2 using the decoration method 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated based on the following Example 1 thru | or Example 5. FIG.

<Ink preparation conditions and characteristics>
Inorganic pigment used: Cobalt-aluminum oxide Average particle size of inorganic pigment: 50 nm
Solvent ratio: Water: Anti-drying agent = 9: 1
Mixing amount of inorganic pigment: 5.0 vol%
Mixing conditions: 2 hours mill mixing using bead mill equipment Dispersant and wetting agent addition amount: 0.3 wt%
Ink viscosity: 5.3 mPa · s (using a rotational viscometer)
Ink surface tension: 35 mN / m
Ink state; No precipitation or layer separation observed (after standing for a long time)

<Composition of glaze>
Lime: 14wt%
Kaolin: 9wt%
Silica powder ... 22wt%
Feldspar powder: 55wt%

  Using the prepared ink, a transfer image was printed on a thermal transfer sheet using a thermal ink jet printer. At this time, no defective discharge was observed at the discharge portion, and a good transfer image was formed. Then, the thermal transfer sheet was stuck on the side surface of the mug corresponding to the porous calcined body heated to 180 ° C. in advance. Then, the portion where the transfer image was printed was rubbed with a finger or the like from the back surface, and the thermal transfer sheet was brought into close contact with the mug. Thereafter, the mug was baked at 500 ° C. for 30 minutes, the resin layer of the thermal transfer sheet disappeared, and the glaze having the above composition was applied, followed by baking at 1250 ° C. for 1 hour. As a result, a fired body (corresponding to the ceramic product 2) of a solid-shaped mug in which a good transfer image layer (blue) was formed without peeling off the inorganic pigment was obtained.

<Ink preparation conditions and characteristics>
Since it is the same as that of Example 1, description is abbreviate | omitted.

<Composition of glaze>
Lime: 12wt%
Zinc ...... 8wt%
Kaolin 8wt%
Silica powder: 24wt%
Feldspar powder 48 wt%

  A transfer image was printed on a thermal transfer sheet using a piezoelectric inkjet printer. At this time, no defective printing was observed at the discharge portion, and a good transfer image was formed. Thereafter, a thermal transfer sheet was attached to a tile corresponding to a porous pre-fired body heated to 180 ° C. in advance. Then, the portion where the transfer image was printed was rubbed with a finger or the like from the back surface, and the thermal transfer sheet was adhered to the tile. Thereafter, the tile was baked at 500 ° C. for 30 minutes, the resin layer of the thermal transfer sheet disappeared, and the glaze having the above composition was further applied, followed by baking at 1230 ° C. for 1 hour. Thus, a tile fired body (corresponding to the ceramic product 2) on which a good transfer image layer (blue) was formed without peeling off the inorganic pigment was obtained.

<Ink preparation conditions and characteristics>
Inorganic pigment used: Cobalt-iron-aluminum oxide Average particle size of inorganic pigment: 50 nm
Solvent ratio: Water: Anti-drying agent = 9: 1
Mixing amount of inorganic pigment: 4.0 vol%
Mixing conditions: 3 days mill mixing using ball mill equipment Dispersant and wetting agent addition amount: 0.3 wt%
Ink viscosity: 4.8 mPa · s (using a rotational viscometer)
Ink surface tension: 36 mN / m
Ink state; No precipitation or layer separation observed (after standing for a long time)

<Composition of glaze>
Lime: 14wt%
Kaolin: 9wt%
Silica powder ... 22wt%
Feldspar powder: 55wt%

  Using the prepared ink, a transfer image was printed on a thermal transfer sheet using a thermal ink jet printer. At this time, no defective discharge was observed at the discharge portion, and a good transfer image was formed. Thereafter, a thermal transfer sheet was attached to a plate corresponding to a porous calcined body heated to 180 ° C. in advance. Then, the portion where the transfer image was printed was rubbed with a finger or the like from the back surface, and the thermal transfer sheet was brought into close contact with the plate. Thereafter, the plate was baked at 500 ° C. for 30 minutes, the resin layer of the thermal transfer sheet disappeared, and further the glaze having the above composition was applied, followed by baking at 1250 ° C. for 1 hour. As a result, a fired body (corresponding to the ceramic product 2) on which a good transfer image layer (black) was formed without peeling off the inorganic pigment was obtained.

<Ink preparation conditions and characteristics>
Inorganic pigment used: Iron oxide Average particle size of inorganic pigment: 40 nm
Solvent ratio: Water: Anti-drying agent = 9: 1
Mixing amount of inorganic pigment: 4.5 vol%
Mixing conditions: 3 days mill mixing using ball mill equipment Dispersant and wetting agent addition amount: 0.3 wt%
Ink viscosity: 5.5 mPa · s (using a rotational viscometer)
Ink surface tension: 35 mN / m
Ink state; No precipitation or layer separation observed (after standing for a long time)

  Using the prepared ink, a transfer image was printed on a thermal transfer sheet using a thermal ink jet printer. At this time, no defective discharge was observed at the discharge portion, and a good transfer image was formed. Then, the thermal transfer sheet was stuck on the mug corresponding to the porous temporary baking body previously heated at 180 degreeC. Then, the portion where the transfer image was printed was rubbed with a finger or the like from the back surface, and the thermal transfer sheet was brought into close contact with the mug. Thereafter, baking was performed at 1230 ° C. for 1 hour. As a result, a sintered body of a mug (corresponding to the ceramic product 2) on which a good transfer image layer (red) was formed without peeling off the inorganic pigment was obtained.

<Ink preparation conditions and characteristics>
Inorganic pigment used: Oxide holmium Average particle size of inorganic pigment: 60 nm
Solvent ratio: Water: Anti-drying agent = 9: 1
Mixing amount of inorganic pigment: 3.5 vol%
Mixing conditions: 3 days mill mixing using ball mill equipment Dispersant and wetting agent addition amount: 0.3 wt%
Ink viscosity: 3.5 mPa · s (rotary viscometer used)
Ink surface tension: 34 mN / m
Ink state; No precipitation or layer separation observed (after standing for a long time)

<Composition of glaze>
Lime: 14wt%
Kaolin: 9wt%
Silica powder ... 22wt%
Feldspar powder: 55wt%

  Using the prepared ink, a transfer image was printed on a thermal transfer sheet using a thermal ink jet printer. At this time, no defective discharge was observed at the discharge portion, and a good transfer image was formed. Then, the thermal transfer sheet was stuck on the mug corresponding to the porous temporary baking body previously heated at 180 degreeC. Then, the portion where the transfer image was printed was rubbed with a finger or the like from the back surface, and the thermal transfer sheet was brought into close contact with the mug. Thereafter, the mug was baked at 500 ° C. for 30 minutes, the resin layer of the thermal transfer sheet disappeared, and the glaze having the above composition was applied, followed by baking at 1250 ° C. for 1 hour. As a result, a sintered body (corresponding to the ceramic product 2) of the plate on which a good transfer image layer (yellow) was formed without peeling off the inorganic pigment was obtained.

  As shown in Examples 1 to 5, the color of the transfer image 4 transferred to the ceramic product 2 such as a mug can be changed by changing the components of the inorganic pigment used in the ink. Thereby, by using an existing computer and an inkjet printer, it is possible to transfer an image, a photograph or the like of the user to the thermal transfer sheet 5 and decorate the ceramic product 2.

  The present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as described below. And design changes are possible.

  That is, in the decoration method 1 of this embodiment and the ceramic product 2 decorated by the decoration method 1, the inkjet printer 7 is used and the water-based ink 10 is ejected onto the thermal transfer sheet 5 to form the transfer image 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image may be drawn directly with the water-based ink 10 on the transfer sheet surface 3 using a paint brush or the like. Furthermore, the firing conditions such as the thermoplastic resin material of the resin layer 12 used in the thermal transfer sheet 5 and the firing temperature can be appropriately changed.

  Furthermore, although the mug was illustrated as the ceramics product 2 to decorate, of course, it is not limited to this, Various ceramics products 2 such as ceramics used for other tableware etc. are considered as decoration objects of the present invention. Is possible. In particular, since heat is applied to the surface of the molded body or fired body, the surface may have a porous property. As a result, the types of applicable ceramic products 2 are abundant and their use is not restricted.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the decorating method of this embodiment typically. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of each process of a decorating method.

Explanation of symbols

1 decorating method (decorating ceramic products)
2 Ceramic products 3 Transfer sheet surface 4 Transfer image 5 Thermal transfer sheet 7 Inkjet printer 8 Molded body (fired body)
9 Glaze 10 Water-based ink 12 Resin layer (molten resin layer)
S2 Image formation process (inkjet printer printing process)
S3 Preheating process (heating process)
S4 Application process S5 Thermal transfer process S6 Resin removal process S8 Baking process

Claims (5)

An image forming step of forming a desired transfer image on the transfer sheet surface of the thermal transfer sheet using an aqueous ink containing an inorganic pigment;
A thermal transfer step of transferring the transfer image formed on the transfer sheet surface to the transfer surface of the transfer object using heat;
A method for decorating ceramic products, comprising: a baking step of baking the transfer object onto which the transferred image has been transferred at a baking temperature of 500 ° C. or higher and 1500 ° C. or lower. The image forming step includes
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an inkjet printing step of forming the transfer image by ejecting the water-based ink onto the surface of the thermal transfer sheet of the thermal transfer sheet by using an inkjet printing technique. How to decorate ceramic products. The inorganic pigment is
The method for decorating ceramic products according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the average particle size is adjusted to 5 nm or more and 100 nm or less. The thermal transfer sheet is
50 ° C. or higher, including a molten resin layer that is heated and melted at a transfer temperature of 250 ° C. or lower and transferred onto the transfer surface together with the transfer image.
The firing step includes
4. The ceramic product addition according to claim 1, further comprising a resin removal step of removing the molten resin layer transferred to the transfer surface in an oxidizing atmosphere. 5. Decoration method. A ceramic product to be decorated using the method for decorating ceramic products according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A fired body;
A ceramic product comprising a transfer image layer formed on the surface of the fired body by a transfer image transferred to the fired body using a thermal transfer sheet.

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